ETW STAFF – Mumbai
The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) held its Indian Travel Trade Expo (ITTE) at Mumbai. ITTE 2012 hosted over 30 stalls and recorded around 850 visitors this year. ITTE 2012, inaugurated by Chhagan Bhujbal, state tourism minister, Government of Maharashtra, saw industry experts sharing their knowledge in four interactive business sessions conducted over two days. The sessions on ‘Inside India,’ ‘Maximising your Revenue’ and ‘Future Trends of Travel Trade in India’ included panelists like Ashish Kumar Singh, secretary to chief minister of Maharashtra; Vipul Mittra, principal secretary – Tourism, Civil Aviation & Pilgrimage, Government of Gujarat; Dr Adel El Masry, director-India, Egyptian Tourism Office; Jasdev Singh, director – Indian Subcontinent, Expedia; Rajeev Wagle, MD, Kuoni India.
A key business session on ‘The United Voice’ – President’s Round Table, held on the second day of the expo, was specially arranged by TAAI where all the key travel and hospitality associations of India like Enterprising Travel Agents Association (ETAA), Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI), Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Indian Tourist Transporters Association (ITTA), and Air Cargo Agents Association of India (ACCAI) were represented along with TAAI.
Iqbal Mulla, president, TAAI said, “Through the President’s Round Table, we managed to bring on board gallant minds of the industry on a common ground to achieve a common goal for everybody’s benefit. This session helped us discuss collectively about issues like taxation, growth, opportunities and various trends in the sector.”
All associations, including TAAI, unanimously agreed that what this industry needs at the moment was growth, which should be the main focus of the industry. The issue of taxation which interrupts the smooth functioning of travel and tourism sector was also discussed at length.
